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Bio‑digester discussion draws dozens to Walton County meeting; no application yet but residents urge ordinance change
Summary
County staff told the commission no formal biodigester application has been filed; residents near Marlowe Farms and speakers urged the board to amend zoning and waste transport rules to prevent industrial‑scale biogas facilities on agricultural land.
County planning staff and the county manager told the Walton County Board of Commissioners that, as of the meeting, no formal application had been filed for a proposed anaerobic biodigester (sometimes referred to in public comments as a “biogas” plant) near Marlowe Farms, but residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period to press the board to act preemptively.
The county manager explained the procedural path that any application would follow: if a firm submits an application it must appear first before the planning and zoning (planning) commission, after proper public notice required by Georgia planning and zoning law, and only later would the planning commission’s recommendation come to the county commission. Staff said the earliest possible county commission decision on a first application would be June if an applicant made the May planning calendar; no application had been submitted for the March meeting.
Residents who live adjacent to Marlowe Farms and nearby roads delivered sustained public comment opposing the concept, citing truck traffic, groundwater and creek contamination, odor, methane safety concerns and the operator’s track record. A speaker who identified herself as a resident and local butcher read proposed ordinance language and urged the board to prohibit industrial feedstock transport to biodigesters in the county and to place NAICS 325120 (industrial gas manufacturing/biogas) in the county’s M2/industrial category rather than leaving it eligible under agricultural allowances.
Dr. Barbara McKee, a biologist who lives on George Williams Road, told the board she is adjacent to the proposed site and emphasized safety and environmental risks. “A biodigester produces natural gas, which is methane gas. It is highly volatile. It smells. It's toxic. It's flammable, and it's explosive,” Dr. McKee said, listing state and national incidents and saying a biodigester does not fit the county’s neighborhood character. Another resident, Corey Arnold, also said an increase in truck traffic would endanger children who use local roads and asked the board to stand by its earlier opposition.
Speakers identified Vanguard Renewables (referred to in public comment) as the firm associated with previous submissions; speakers cited press reports and alleged permit violations in other jurisdictions and urged the board to require industry‑level zoning and explicit limits on off‑site waste transport if a project is proposed.
County staff reiterated there had been prior requests to change local code to accommodate a biodigester and that, if a company applies, the process requires planning commission review, public notice, signage and a public hearing before the planning commission and then a public hearing before the county commission. The manager said the planning commission and county commission each meet once per month, which sets the realistic earliest review dates.
Why this matters: residents living near the proposed site argue that the county’s current code and the agricultural zoning category could be interpreted in ways that allow industrial‑scale biogas operations and the transport of organic waste from elsewhere. They requested specific, preemptive ordinance changes to keep industrial biogas manufacturing in an M2 industrial category and to restrict interstate or in‑state transport of municipal/organic wastes for fuel production on agricultural parcels.
Next steps: staff said they will accept any draft ordinance language from citizens and will follow normal application procedures if an applicant files; residents asked the county to draft and consider amendments to the zoning and solid‑waste transport sections of county code prior to any permit application.
Ending: The board did not vote on any changes at the meeting; staff said any formal application for a biodigester would be processed under existing planning and zoning procedures and return to the planning commission and county commission for public hearings.
